Composition of decimal floating point data

ABSTRACT

A decimal floating point finite number in a decimal floating point format is composed from the number in a different format. A decimal floating point format includes fields to hold information relating to the sign, exponent and significand of the decimal floating point finite number. Other decimal floating point data, including infinities and NaNs (not a number), are also composed. Decimal floating point data are also decomposed from the decimal floating point format to a different format.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/740,711, filed Apr. 26, 2007, entitled “COMPOSITION/DECOMPOSITION OFDECIMAL FLOATING POINT DATA,” the entirety of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates, in general, to employing decimal floating pointdata in processing within a processing environment, and in particular,to composing decimal floating point data in a decimal floating pointformat from data that are not represented in a decimal floating pointformat. Moreover, aspects of the invention relate to decomposing decimalfloating point data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Floating point is used to represent real numbers on computers. There aredifferent types of floating point arithmetic, including binary floatingpoint and decimal floating point, as examples. Floating point numbersare discussed in IEEE Std 854-1987, IEEE Standard for Radix-IndependentFloating-Point Arithmetic; and in IEEE Std 754-1985, IEEE Standard ForBinary Floating-Point Arithmetic, which are hereby incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

Binary floating point numbers are represented in computer hardware asbase two (binary) fractions. While binary floating point has been veryvaluable over the years, there are some limitations with binary floatingpoint operations. For instance, binary floating point cannot representsome decimal fractions, such as 0.1; and the scaling of binary floatingpoint requires rounding. Due to the limitations of binary floatingpoint, decimal floating point has evolved for use in computationalprocessing in computers and other processing environments.

Decimal floating point is easier to comprehend, since decimal data isthe most common of all numeric data. A decimal floating point finitenumber includes a sign bit, an exponent and a significand. The sign bitis zero for plus and one for minus. The exponent, a signed value, isrepresented as an unsigned binary value by adding a bias, resulting in abiased exponent. The significand includes a string of decimal digits,where each digit is an integral value between zero and one less than theradix (i.e., 10 is the radix for decimal). The number of digit positionsin the significand is called the precision of the floating point number.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Typically, data that is input to a processing environment is in a formatother than a decimal floating point format. For instance, ahuman-readable format of numerical data that is, for instance, indecimal character strings, may be input to the processing environment.Thus, if decimal floating point data is to be used in processing, thedata is first converted from the human-readable format to anintermediate format, and then the data in the intermediate format isused to compose data in the decimal floating point format. Each decimalfloating point format includes fields to hold information on the sign,the exponent, and the significand of a decimal floating point finitenumber.

In one example, to convert a decimal floating point finite number inhuman-readable format into a decimal floating point format, thehuman-readable data is first converted into an intermediate data type,and then from the intermediate data type to a decimal floating pointformat. The intermediate data type is to be able to support theconversion without loss of accuracy. One example of an intermediate datatype that meets this criteria is signed packed decimal for the sign andthe significand, and signed binary integer for the exponent. Thus, inthis example, the sign and the significand of the human-readable inputare converted to signed packed decimal and the exponent of thehuman-readable input is converted to a signed binary integer, then fromsigned packed decimal and signed binary integer to a decimal floatingpoint format.

Therefore, a need exists for a capability that provides data conversionfrom an intermediate data type, like signed packed decimal and signedbinary integer, to a decimal floating point format. Further, a needexists for a capability that provides data conversion from the decimalfloating point format to an intermediate data type.

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantagesare provided through the provision of an article of manufacture thatincludes at least one computer usable medium having computer readableprogram code logic to compose a decimal floating point data. Thecomputer readable program code logic when executing performing, forinstance, the following: obtaining a significand in a packed decimalformat and a biased exponent in a binary integer format; and combiningthe significand and biased exponent into a decimal floating point datumin decimal floating point format.

Methods and systems relating to one or more aspects of the presentinvention are also described and claimed herein.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesof the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the inventionare described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimedinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointedout and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusionof the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, andadvantages of the invention are apparent from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1A depicts one embodiment of a short data format of a decimalfloating point datum, in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B depicts one embodiment of a long data format of a decimalfloating point datum, in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1C depicts one embodiment of an extended data format of a decimalfloating point datum, in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1D pictorially depicts an encoding of a decimal floating pointdatum, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2B depict one example of the encoding and layout of thecombination field of FIGS. 1A-1C, in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 depicts examples of values of finite numbers in the variousformats of FIGS. 1A-1C, in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 depicts one example of various properties of the three decimalfloating point formats of FIGS. 1A-1C, in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts one embodiment of value ranges for finite number dataclasses of decimal floating point data, in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts one example of the encoding of not a number (NaNs) andinfinity data classes of decimal floating point data, in accordance withan aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of an overview of the logic associatedwith importing a decimal floating point datum from a non-decimalfloating point format, in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 depicts further details of one embodiment of the logic associatedwith composing a decimal floating point datum, in accordance with anaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 depicts one example of a format of a Convert From Unsigned Packedinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10A depicts one embodiment of the logic associated with a compressfunction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10B depicts one embodiment of the logic associated with an expandfunction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 11 depicts one example of a format of a Convert From Signed Packedinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 12 depicts one embodiment of a format of a Shift Significand Leftinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 13 depicts one example of a format of an Add instruction used inaccordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 14 depicts one example of a format of a Subtract instruction usedin accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 15 depicts one example of a format of an Insert Biased Exponentinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 16 depicts one embodiment of an overview of the logic associatedwith exporting a decimal floating point datum, in accordance with anaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 17 depicts further details of one embodiment of the logicassociated with decomposing a decimal floating point datum, inaccordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 18 depicts one example of a format of an Extract Biased Exponentinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 19 depicts one example of a format of a Convert To Signed Packedinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 20 depicts one example of a format of a Shift Significand Rightinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 21 depicts one example of a format of a Convert To Unsigned Packedinstruction used in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 22 depicts one embodiment of a processing environment toincorporate and use one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 23 depicts another embodiment of a processing environment toincorporate and use one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 24 depicts further details of the memory of FIG. 23, in accordancewith an aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 25 depicts one example of a computer program product to incorporateone or more aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a capability isprovided for composing decimal floating point (DFP) data. For instance,a datum in a format other than a decimal floating point format isconverted to a decimal floating point format. This conversion convertsthe exponent and significand separately, in one example. The capabilityemploys, in one embodiment, a plurality of instructions or logic thatfacilitate the conversion and composition.

As a further aspect of the present invention, a capability is providedfor decomposing the decimal floating point data. For instance, a decimalfloating point datum is converted to a format other than a decimalfloating point format. This capability also employs, in one embodiment,a plurality of instructions or logic that facilitate the conversion anddecomposition.

A decimal floating point finite number includes three components: a signbit, an exponent, and a significand. The magnitude (an unsigned value)of the number is the product of the significand and the radix (10 forDFP) raised to the power of the exponent. The number is positive ornegative depending on whether the sign bit is zero or one, respectively.

The significand has an implied radix point, and its position depends onwhich interpretation of the floating point datum is being applied. Thisinterpretation is called a view. There are multiple views that can beapplied to a floating point format, and each view is an interpretationof the meaning of the fields in a floating point datum, and an impliedradix point. Examples of the multiple views include a fraction view, aleft units view and a right units view. With the fraction view, theradix point is implied to be to the left of the leftmost digit of thesignificand. With the left units view, the leftmost digit of thesignificand is assumed to be the units digit and the radix point isimplied to be immediately to the right of this digit. With the rightunits view, the rightmost digit of the significand is assumed to be theunits digit and the radix point is implied to be immediately to theright of the entire significand. Although all three views can be appliedto a floating point format, in the examples described herein, the rightunits view is applied to DFP, unless otherwise noted. Thus, for thesignificand, the implied radix point is immediately to the right of thesignificand.

The use of different views has an affect on the definition of unbiasedexponent and the bias. The value of the floating point number is definedto be the product of the significand times the base raised to the powerof the unbiased exponent. Since different views place the assumed radixpoint at different positions in the significand, to keep the value thesame, the unbiased exponent is to change by a corresponding amount, andthe bias to convert between the biased exponent and the unbiasedexponent is to change. This results in different exponent and bias termsincluding: fraction view exponent, left units view (LUV) exponent, rightunits view (RUV) exponent, fraction view bias, left units view bias andright units view bias.

The representation of decimal floating point finite numbers allowsleading zeros and trailing zeros in the significand. This allows somenumbers to have multiple representations. Each representation has adifferent combination of significand and exponent. For example,1000000×10⁵ and 10×10¹⁰ are two different representations of the samenumber. This number representation carries information about both thenumerical value and the quantum of a decimal floating point finitenumber. The set of different representations of a decimal floating pointnumber using the same sign is called a cohort. Each of these multiplerepresentations is called a cohort member. A plus zero and a minus zerohave the same value, but are in different cohorts.

For a DFP finite number, the magnitude of a value of one in therightmost digit position of the significand is called the quantum. Eachcohort member of a cohort uses a different quantum to represent the samevalue. The quantum of a cohort member is the same, regardless of whetherthe left units view or right units view is taken.

For operations that produce a DFP result, a quantum, called thepreferred quantum, is defined to select a cohort member to represent thedelivered value, if it is a finite number. The preferred quanta forthese operations are depicted in the below table. When the deliveredvalue is exact, the preferred quantum depends on the operation. When thedelivered value is inexact, the preferred quantum is the smallestquantum, unless otherwise stated.

In the absence of an overflow or underflow interruption, if thedelivered value is a finite number, the cohort member with the quantumclosest to the preferred quantum is selected.

In the case of an overflow or underflow interruption, the cohort memberwith the quantum closest to the scaled preferred quantum is selected.The scaled preferred quantum is obtained by scaling the preferredquantum using the same scale factor that was used to obtain thedelivered value.

Examples of preferred quantum for various operations are depicted below.

Delivered Operations Value Preferred Quanta ADD Exact The smallerquantum of the two source operands † Inexact The smallest quantumCONVERT FROM FIXED Exact One † Inexact The smallest quantum CONVERT FROM— One SIGNED PACKED CONVERT FROM — One UNSIGNED PACKED DIVIDE Exact Thequantum of the dividend divided by the quantum of the divisort † InexactThe smallest quantum INSERT BIASED — The quantum corresponds to theEXPONENT requested biased exponent LOAD AND TEST — The quantum of thesource operand LOAD FP INTEGER Exact The larger value of one and thequantum of the source operand Inexact One LOAD LENGTHENED Exact Thequantum of the source operand † Inexact The smallest quantum LOADROUNDED Exact The quantum of the source operand † Inexact The smallestquantum PERFORM FLOATING Exact The largest quantum † POINT OPERATIONInexact The smallest quantum (DPQC = 0) PERFORM FLOATING Exact One †POINT OPERATION Inexact The smallest quantum (DPQC = 1) MULTIPLY ExactThe product of the quanta of the two source operands † Inexact Thesmallest quantum QUANTIZE Exact The requested quantum Inexact Therequested quantum REROUND Exact The larger value of the quantum thatcorresponds to the requested significance and the quantum of the sourceoperand Inexact The quantum that corresponds to the requestedsignificance SHIFT SIGNIFICAND — The quantum of the LEFT source operandSHIFT SIGNIFICAND — The quantum of the RIGHT source operand SUBTRACTExact The smaller quantum of the two source operands † Inexact Thesmallest quantum Explanation: — For these operations, the concept ofexact result or inexact result does not apply. † If the delivered valuecannot be represented with the preferred quantum, it is represented withthe quantum closest to the preferred quantum. DPQC DFP preferred quantumcontrol.

Decimal floating point numbers may be represented in any of three dataformats: short, long, or extended. As examples, the short formatincludes 32 bits, the long format 64 bits, and the extended format 128bits.

NaNs (Not a Number) and other symbols, such as infinity, may also berepresented in any of the three data formats. A NaN is a value or symbolthat is usually produced as a result of an operation on invalidoperands. There are quiet NaNs and signaling NaNs. A quiet NaN, in mostinstances, does not raise any additional exceptions as it propagatesthrough operations, such as decimal floating point operations. On theother hand, a signaling NaN does raise additional exceptions.

The contents of each data format represent encoded information. Specialcodes are assigned to NaNs and infinities. Examples of the formats aredescribed with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C. For instance, FIG. 1A depictsone example of a short data format representation 100 of a decimalfloating point datum; FIG. 1B depicts one example of a long data formatrepresentation 102 of a decimal floating point datum; and FIG. 1Cdepicts one embodiment of an extended data format representation 104 ofa decimal floating point datum.

Each data format is of a different length, but has the same fields. Thefields include, for instance, the following:

-   -   A sign field (S) 106 represents the sign bit of the decimal        floating point datum. In one example, it is bit 0 in each        format, and is set to zero for plus and one for minus;    -   A combination field 108: For finite numbers, this field includes        the biased exponent and the leftmost digit of the significand;        for NaNs and infinities, this field includes codes to identify        them.    -   When bits 1-5 of the format are in the range of 00000-11101, the        operand is a finite number. The two leftmost bits of the biased        exponent and the leftmost digit of the significand are encoded        in bits 1-5 of the format. Bit 6 through the end of the        combination field includes the rest of the biased exponent.    -   When bits 1-5 of the format field are 11110, the operand is an        infinity. All bits in the combination field to the right of bit        5 of the format constitute the reserved field for infinity. A        nonzero value in the reserved field is accepted in a source        infinity; the reserved field is set to zero in a resultant        infinity.    -   When bits 1-5 of the format are 11111, the operand is a NaN and        bit 6, called the SNaN bit, further distinguishes QNaN from        SNaN. If bit 6 is zero, then it is QNaN; otherwise, it is SNaN.        All bits in the combination field to the right of bit 6 of the        format constitute the reserved field for NaN. A nonzero value in        the reserved field is accepted in a source NaN; the reserved        field is set to zero in a resultant NaN.    -   FIGS. 2A-2B summarize the encoding and layout of the combination        field. In the figures, the biased exponent of a finite number is        the concatenation of two parts: (1) two leftmost bits are        derived from bits 1-5 of the format, and (2) the remaining bits        in the combination field. For example, if the combination field        of the DFP short format includes 10101010101 binary, it        represents a biased exponent of 10010101 binary and a leftmost        significand digit of 5.    -   An encoded trailing significand 110 (FIGS. 1A-1C): This field        includes an encoded decimal number, which represents digits in        the trailing significand. The trailing significand includes all        significand digits, except the leftmost digit. For infinities,        nonzero trailing significand digits are accepted in a source        infinity; all trailing significand digits in a resultant        infinity are set to zeros, unless otherwise stated. For NaNs,        this field includes diagnostic information called the payload.    -   In one example, the trailing significand digits in a DFP data        format are encoded by representing three decimal digits with a        10-bit declet. The digits in the trailing significand are        encoded using densely packed decimal encoding. Examples of        densely packed decimal encoding are described in “A Summary of        Densely Packed Decimal Encoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, Jul. 16, 2005,        www2.hursley.ibm.com/decimal/DPDecimal.html, and “Densely Packed        Decimal Encoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, IEEE Proceedings—Computers        and Digital Techniques, ISSN 1350-2387, Vol. 149, No. 3, pp.        102-104, IEEE, May 2002, each of which is hereby incorporated        herein by reference in its entirety.

Each of the three data formats has different values of finite numbers.Examples of these values in the various formats are shown in FIG. 3. Asdepicted, values are provided for both the left units view 300 and rightunits view 302 for each format, including the short format 304, longformat 306 and extended format 308.

As described above, in one example, a decimal floating point numberincludes a sign, an exponent, and a significand. The sign is encoded,for instance, as a one bit binary value and is represented in sign field106. The significand is encoded, for instance, as an unsigned decimalinteger in two distinct parts: the leftmost digit (LMD) of thesignificand is encoded as part of combination field 108; and theremaining digits of the significand are encoded in encoded trailingsignificand 110. Similarly, the exponent is represented in two parts, asan example. However, prior to encoding the exponent, the exponent isconverted to an unsigned binary value, called the biased exponent, byadding a bias value, which is a constant for each format. The twoleftmost bits of the biased exponent, as well as the remaining 6, 8, or12 bits (depending on the format) are also encoded in combination field108. This encoding is pictorially depicted in FIG. 1D.

As shown in FIG. 1D, an encoding 150 of a decimal floating point numberincludes a sign 152 in sign field 106; the leftmost digit of thesignificand 154, the two leftmost bits of the biased exponent 156 andthe remaining bits of the biased exponent 158 in combination field 108;and the remaining digits of the significand 160 in encoded trailingsignificand 110.

Each of the three data formats for decimal floating point numbers hasproperties associated therewith. These properties are summarized in FIG.4. As depicted, properties 400 include for each format 402 thefollowing, as examples: format length 404, combination length 406,encoded trailing significand length 408, precision 410, maximum leftunits view (LUV) exponent (E_(max)) 412, minimum left units viewexponent (E_(min)) 414, left units view bias 416, maximum right unitsview (RUV) exponent (Q_(max)) 418, minimum right units view exponent(Q_(min)) 420, right units view bias 422, maximum biased exponent 424,largest (in magnitude) normal number (N_(max)) 426, smallest (inmagnitude) normal number (N_(min)) 428, and smallest (in magnitude)subnormal number (D_(min)) 430.

In addition to the above, decimal floating point data is categorizedinto six classes of data, including zero, subnormal number, normalnumber, infinity, signaling NaN and quiet NaN data classes. The value ofa decimal floating point finite number, including zero, subnormalnumber, and normal number, is a quantization of the real number based onthe data format. The value ranges for finite number data classes aredepicted in FIG. 5, and the codes for NaNs and infinity are depicted inFIG. 6.

For instance, FIG. 5 shows a sign 502 and a magnitude 504 for each dataclass 500, including zero data class 506, subnormal data class 508, andnormal data class 510. As shown, a subnormal number has a value smallerthan N_(min) (smallest normal number) and greater than zero inmagnitude. A normal number is a nonzero finite number whose magnitude isbetween N_(min) and N_(max) (largest normal number) inclusively.

Similarly, FIG. 6 shows, in one embodiment, a sign 602, an encoding ofbits 1-5 of the combination field 604, and an encoding of the remainingbits of the combination field 606 of the data format for each data class600, including infinity data class 610, quiet NaN data class 612, andsignaling NaN data class 614.

As part of a decimal floating point operation, in which the sourceoperands are finite numbers, a precise intermediate value is firstproduced, which is the value that would have been computed if both theprecision and exponent range were unbounded. Then, a roundedintermediate value is produced. That is, except when otherwisespecified, the precise intermediate value is rounded to the precision ofthe target format, but with unbounded exponent range. This process iscalled target precision constrained rounding, and the value selected bythis type of rounding is called the precision rounded value.

For IEEE targets, when the IEEE underflow interruption is disabled andthe tininess condition exists, the precise intermediate value is roundedto fit in the destination format. That is, with both precision andexponent range of the target format. This process is calleddenormalization rounding and the value selected by this type of roundingis called the denormalized value.

In other examples, a source operand is taken and modified to fit in asubset of the destination format. This process is called functionallyconstrained rounding and the value selected by this type of rounding iscalled the functionally rounded value.

In any particular instance, only one of the three rounding processes isperformed and the value selected (precision rounded value, denormalizedvalue, or functionally rounded value) is generically referred to as therounded intermediate value.

In the absence of overflow and underflow interruptions, the roundedintermediate value is used as the delivered value. For overflow andunderflow interruptions, the rounded intermediate value is divided by ascale factor to produce a scaled value, which is used as the deliveredvalue.

As described above, a decimal floating point datum is highly encoded inthat more information is packed into less space. For instance, for adecimal floating point finite number, the combination field includes aportion of the significand, as well as the exponent. Since the decimalfloating point data is highly encoded, composition of decimal floatingpoint data is not trivial.

One embodiment of an overview of the logic associated with importing adecimal floating point data from a non-decimal floating point format isdescribed with reference to FIG. 7. In this particular example, thenon-decimal floating point format is a human readable format.

Referring to FIG. 7, in one embodiment, a human readable data value,such as a decimal numerical value, is obtained by a processor of aprocessing environment, STEP 700. In one example, the value is input bya user. The inputted value is converted from its human readable form toan intermediate form, such as packed decimal and signed binary integer,STEP 702.

There are two packed decimal formats, in one example: signed packed andunsigned packed. In the signed packed decimal format, each byteincludes, for instance, two decimal digits (D), except for the rightmostbyte, which includes a sign (S) to the right of a decimal digit.

In the unsigned packed decimal format, each byte includes, for instance,two decimal digits (D) and there is no sign.

Techniques to convert from human-readable format to packed decimal andbinary integer are known in the art. Many processing environments,including an environment based on the z/Architecture® offered byInternational Business Machines Corporation, include functions toconvert to packed decimal and binary integer. z/Architecture® is aregistered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation,Armonk, N.Y.

Referring to STEP 704, at least a portion of the significand in theintermediate form is then converted to a decimal floating point value,and the exponent in the intermediate form is converted to a biasedexponent in unsigned binary integer, STEP 705. The converted values arethen used in composing the decimal floating point datum, STEP 706.

Further details regarding converting from packed decimal and binaryinteger to a DFP format and for composing a floating point datum aredescribed with reference to FIG. 8. In particular, one embodiment of thelogic associated with converting the significand from a packed decimalvalue and the biased exponent from a binary integer to a decimalfloating point format is described.

As one example, the technique is described with reference to an examplein which a 35 digit (34 digit significand and 1 digit sign) signedsignificand (stored as packed decimal) and its associated scaling factor(stored as a 64-bit binary integer) are converted to an extended decimalfloating point format. This example addresses the problem in which 35digits in packed decimal require more than 128 bits.

Initially, a value is loaded into a general register pair AB, STEP 800.The register pair is selected from a plurality (e.g., 16) of availablegeneral registers. In one embodiment, the first register of the pairthat is selected is an even register and the next register of the pairis the odd register immediately succeeding the even register. In thisexample, sixty-four bits are loaded into each general register of thegeneral register pair, with the upper (most significant) 12 bits of thebinary coded decimal packed number (3 digits out of 35) right aligned inthe register pair and the left 116 bits zeroed.

Additionally, a general register pair CD, which is also selected fromthe plurality of available registers, is loaded with the lower 128 bits(least significant 31 digits and sign) of the packed decimal, STEP 802.It is assumed that the signed digit is the rightmost digit.

Further, a general register, Register E, selected from the plurality ofavailable registers is loaded with the associated biased exponent, whichin this example is a 64-bit binary integer, STEP 804. Thus, the sign,significand and biased exponent are loaded in general registers, asindicated above.

Next, the contents of general register pair AB are converted into adecimal floating point number, which is a portion of the significand ofthe decimal floating point datum being composed, STEP 806. The converteddecimal floating point number is stored in a selected floating pointregister pair, such as floating point register pair 01. In one example,the conversion is performed using a Convert From Unsigned Packedinstruction, which is described below.

Additionally, the packed decimal in the general register pair CD isconverted into a decimal floating point format and the result is storedin a selected floating point register pair, such as floating pointregister pair 23, STEP 808. In one example, this conversion is performedusing a Convert From Signed Packed instruction, as described in furtherdetail below.

Thereafter, the significand of the floating point register pair 01 isshifted 31 digits to the left to align it for operations with floatingpoint register pair 23, STEP 810. The shifting is performed by a ShiftSignificand Left instruction, in one example. The shift does not affectthe exponent or sign of the decimal floating point data.

Subsequently, a determination is made as to whether the originalsignificand in the packed decimal format is positive, INQUIRY 812. Ifthe original significand in the packed decimal format is positive, thenthe contents of floating point register pair 01 are added to thecontents of floating point register pair 23, and the result is storedinto floating point register pair 01, STEP 814. In one example, this addis performed using an Add instruction, which is described in furtherdetail below.

However, if the original significand in the packed decimal format isnegative, INQUIRY 812, then the contents of floating point register pair01 are subtracted from the contents of floating point register pair 23,and the result is stored in floating point register pair 01, STEP 816. ASubtract instruction is used, in one example, to perform thesubtraction.

Subsequent to performing either the add or subtract, the contents ofregister E are combined with the contents of floating point registerpair 01, and placed back into floating point register pair 01, STEP 818.In one example, an Insert Biased Exponent instruction is used to performthis combination. This results in a composed DFP data representation ofthe 35 digit significand in packed decimal and its associated scalingfactor in binary integer. However, in other examples, the compositioncan be from other types of non-decimal floating point formats.

In the previous examples, the intermediate form includes a signedsignificand in the signed packed decimal format. Two examples are nowgiven where the intermediate form includes an unsigned significand inthe unsigned packed decimal format along with a separate bit for thesign. In these examples, the significand and the sign are convertedseparately. As in the previous examples, the intermediate form alsoincludes a 64-bit biased exponent in the binary integer format. In bothexamples, the unsigned significand in the intermediate form is firstconverted to a positive integer in the DFP format. As in the previousexamples, the Insert Biased Exponent instruction is then used to combinethe 64-bit biased exponent in the intermediate form with the integer inthe DFP format. Also, in both examples, if the result is to be negative,the sign bit is set to one. This could be done in many ways, such as alogical OR and may be performed before or after the Insert BiasedExponent instruction.

For the first example, the unsigned significand in the intermediate formis a 34-digit value in the unsigned packed decimal format and it isconverted to a positive integer in the DFP extended format using theConvert From Unsigned Packed, Shift Significand Left, and Addinstructions. The Convert From Signed Packed and Subtract instructionsare not needed.

For the second example, the unsigned significand in the intermediateform is a 16-digit value in the unsigned packed decimal format and it isconverted to a positive integer in the DFP long format by a singleexecution of the Convert From Unsigned Packed instruction. The ConvertFrom Signed Packed, Shift Significand Left, Add, and Subtractinstructions are not needed.

In the above logic for composing a decimal floating point datum, anumber of instructions are employed. These instructions can beimplemented in many architectures and may be emulated. As examples, theinstructions are executed in hardware by a processor; by softwareexecuting on a processor having a native instruction set; or byemulation of a non-native instruction set that includes the instruction.In one particular example, the instructions are implemented in thez/Architecture® offered by International Business Machines Corporation,Armonk, N.Y. z/Architecture® is a registered trademark of InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. Other names used herein maybe registered trademarks, trademarks or product names of InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation or other companies. One embodiment of thez/Architecture® is described in “z/Architecture Principles ofOperation,” IBM Publication No. SA22-7832-05, 6th Edition, April 2007,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety andwhich shows one example of the various instructions. Further detailsregarding the instructions, as well as additional details relating todecimal floating point, and in particular, to a decimal floatingarchitecture offered by International Business Machines Corporation, aredescribed in an IBM publication entitled “PreliminaryDecimal-Floating-Point Architecture,” IBM Publication No. SA23-2232-00,November 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Each of the instructions is also described in further detailherein.

One instruction used to convert the packed decimal value to a decimalfloating point value (see, e.g., STEP 806, FIG. 8) is the Convert FromUnsigned Packed instruction 900, which is described with reference toFIG. 9. In one example, instruction 900 is a 32-bit instruction informat RRE (register and register operation having an extended opcode)as that format is defined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles ofOperation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 902 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Convert        From Unsigned Packed instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a 64-bit unsigned packed        decimal source in general register, long DFP result; and another        for a 128-bit unsigned packed decimal source in general        registers, extended DFP result.    -   A register field 904 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a first operand used by the instruction.    -   A register field 906 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        general register or general register pair, the contents of which        are a second operand used by the instruction. The second operand        is an unsigned BCD number.

The preferred quantum is one, and the delivered value is representedwith the preferred quantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical. A finitenumber is canonical when all declets are canonical declets. An infinityis canonical when the reserved field is zero and all digits in thetrailing significand are zeros. A NaN is canonical when the reservedfield is zero and all declets are canonical declets.

To further explain, the trailing significand digits in a DFP data formatare encoded by representing three decimal digits with a 10-bit declet.Of the 1024 possible declets, 1000 canonical declets are produced inresultant DFP operands, and 24 noncanonical declets are not produced asDFP results. Both canonical and noncanonical declets are accepted insource DFP operands.

The following table shows the 24 noncanonical declets, the decimal valueto which each maps, and the corresponding canonical declet to which thisdecimal value maps.

Map To Noncanonical Decimal Canonical Declets (Hex) Value Declets (Hex)16E 26E 36E 888 06E 16F 26F 36F 889 06F 17E 27E 37E 898 07F 17F 27F 37F899 07F 1EE 2EE 3EE 988 0EE 1EF 2EF 3EF 989 0EF 1FE 2FE 3FE 998 0FE 1FF2FF 3FF 999 0FF

When an invalid digit code is detected in the second operand, a decimaloperand data exception is recognized.

When the opcode of the Convert From Unsigned Packed instructionindicates a 128 bit unsigned packed decimal source, the R₁ fielddesignates a valid floating point register pair. Also, the R₂ fielddesignates an even-odd pair of general registers, with the even numberedregister being specified.

During execution of the Convert From Unsigned Packed instruction, thesecond operand in the unsigned packed decimal format is converted to theDFP format with a positive sign, and the result is placed at the firstoperand location.

In one embodiment, to convert from an unsigned packed decimal number toa decimal floating point format, a hardware internal working format ofthe unsigned packed decimal number is created and that working format isused to create the DFP format. This is described in further detail withreference to FIG. 10A.

Referring to FIG. 10A, initially a value in unsigned packed decimalformat in the second operand of the instruction is converted to aworking format, STEP 1000, as described below.

The working format (W) of a DFP data includes four primary fields, forinstance: (W=S∥T∥E∥D), where ∥ is concatenation and:

Primary Fields

-   -   S: Sign    -   T: Type (SNaN, QNaN, Infinity, Finite Number)    -   E: Biased exponent    -   D: Significand Digits

Secondary Fields

Two of the primary fields are further broken down into secondary fields:

-   -   E1: leftmost two bits of the biased exponent    -   E2: remaining bits of the biased exponent    -   D1: leftmost digit of the significand    -   D2: remaining digits of the significand

Thus:

-   -   E=E1∥E2    -   D=D1∥D2

During execution of the instruction, the data in the unsigned packeddecimal format of the second operand is converted to the working format,as indicated above. That is, the sign, which in this case is set topositive, of the data in unsigned packed decimal format is indicated atS. The type, which in this case is a finite number, is indicated at T.The biased exponent, which in one example, is obtained from a table, isindicated at E; and the significand digits are indicated at D. Again, Eincludes E1 and E2; and D includes D1 and D2.

The working format is used to produce the data in a DFP format. Inparticular, the working format is converted to a DFP format, STEP 1002.As one example, a compress function (G) is used to convert the workingformat (W) to the DFP format (p). This can be shown symbolically asp=G(W).

In one embodiment, compress involves the following four steps:

s=S

a=G1(T,E1,D1)

b=E2

c=G2(D2)

G includes two subfunctions G1 and G2. Subfunction G1 uses the typefield (T), the leftmost two bits of the biased exponent (E1), and theleftmost digit of the significand (D1) to form part of the combinationfield (a). In particular, the 3 fields (T, E1 and D1) are used to obtainan encoding of the combination field. Examples of the encoding are shownin FIGS. 2A-2B. Thus, if for instance, T represents a finite number, E1is 2 and D1 is 5, the encoding (from FIG. 2A) is 10101.

Subfunction G2 converts the remaining digits of the significand (D2) tothe encoded trailing significand field (c). Each 3-digit BCD number inD2 is converted to a 10-bit Densely Packed Decimal (DPD) value. Oneexample of a technique to convert to a DPD value is described in “ASummary of Densely Packed Decimal Encoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, Jul. 16,2005, www2.hursley.ibm.com/decimal/DPDecimal.html, and “Densely PackedDecimal Encoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, IEEE Proceedings—Computers andDigital Techniques, ISSN 1350-2387, Vol. 149, No. 3, pp. 102-104, IEEE,May 2002. Details are also provided below.

The digits in the trailing significand of a decimal floating point datumare encoded using densely packed decimal (DPD) encoding. Translationoperates on three Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) digits at a time convertingthe 12 bits into 10 bits with a technique that can be applied orreversed using simple Boolean operations. In the following examples, a3-digit BCD number is represented as (abcd)(efgh)(ijkm), a 10-bit DPDnumber is represented as (pqr)(stu)(v)(wxy), and the boolean operations,& (AND), | (OR), and

(NOT) are used.

The conversion from a 3-digit BCD number to a 10-bit DPD can beperformed through the following Boolean operations.

p=(a & f & i)|(a & j)|b

q=(a & g & i)|(a & k)|c

r=d

s=(

a & e & j)|(f &

i)|(

a & f)|(e & i)

t=(

a & e & k)|(a & i)|g

u=h

v=a|e|i

w=(

e & j)|(e & i)|a

x=(

a & k)|(a & i) e

y=m

Alternatively, the following table can be used to perform theconversion. The most significant bit of the three BCD digits (leftcolumn) is used to select a specific 10-bit encoding (right column) ofthe DPD.

aei prq stu v wxy 000 bcd fgh 0 jkm 001 bcd fgh 1 00m 010 bcd jkh 1 01m011 bcd 10h 1 11m 100 jkd fgh 1 10m 101 fgd 01h 1 11m 110 jkd 00h 1 11m111 00d 11h 1 11m

As described above, the BCD to DPD encoding provides a value for theencoded trailing significand field. Thus, the compress function providesthe sign and encoded trailing significand field (i.e., DFP format) ofthe packed decimal number in register pair AB. It also provides thecombination field.

This compress function is also used by the Convert From Signed Packedinstruction, which is employed in converting the decimal value in signedpacked decimal format in the register pair CD to a DFP format (see,e.g., STEP 808, FIG. 8), as described below.

One example of a format of the Convert From Signed Packed instruction1100 is described with reference to FIG. 11. In one example, instruction1100 is a 32 bit instruction in format RRE (register and registeroperation having an extended opcode) as that format is defined in theIBM® z/Architecture Principles of Operation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1102 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Convert        From Signed Packed instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a 64-bit signed packed decimal        source, long DFP result; and another for a 128-bit signed packed        decimal source, extended DFP result.    -   A register field 1104 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a first operand used by the instruction.    -   A register field 1106 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        general register or general register pair, the contents of which        are a second operand used by the instruction. The second operand        is a signed packed decimal number.

The preferred quantum is one, and the delivered value is representedwith the preferred quantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical.

When an invalid digit or sign code is detected in the second operand, adecimal operand data exception is recognized.

When the opcode of the Convert From Signed Packed instruction indicatesconversion of a 128-bit source, the R₁ field designates a valid floatingpoint register pair. Also, the R₂ field designates an even-odd pair ofgeneral registers, with the even numbered register being specified.

During execution of the Convert From Signed Packed instruction, thesigned packed decimal number in the second operand is converted to a DFPnumber, and the result is placed at the first operand location.

This conversion also creates a working format of the signed packeddecimal number, and from that working format produces a DFPrepresentation of the signed packed decimal number, as described hereinwith reference to FIG. 10A.

Another instruction used during the composition of a DFP datum is aShift Significand Left instruction (see, e.g., STEP 810, FIG. 8). Oneexample of a format of the Shift Significand Left instruction 1200 isdescribed with reference to FIG. 12. In one example, instruction 1200 isa 48-bit instruction in format RXF (register and index storage operationhaving an extended opcode field and an additional register field) asthat format is defined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles ofOperation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1202 a (e.g., bits 0-7), 1202 b (e.g., bits        40-47) designating the Shift Significand Left instruction. In        this example, there are two possible operation codes: one for        long decimal floating point operand, and another for an extended        decimal floating point operand.    -   A register field 1204 (e.g., R₃, bits 8-11) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a third operand used by the instruction.    -   An index field 1206 (e.g., X₂, bits 12-15) designating a general        register having, for instance, a 64-bit number.    -   A base field 1208 (e.g., B₂, bits 16-19) designating a general        register having, for instance, a 64-bit number.    -   A displacement value 1210 having, for instance, a 12-bit number.    -   The contents of the general registers specified in fields 1206        and 1208, if any, are added to the contents of displacement        value 1210 to form a second operand address. The second operand        address is not used to address data; instead, its rightmost six        bits indicate the number of digits to be shifted. The remainder        of the address is ignored.    -   A register field 1212 (e.g., R₁, bits 32-35) designating another        floating point register or floating point register pair used by        the instruction, the contents of which are a first operand used        by the instruction.

In operation of this instruction, the significand of the third operandis shifted left the number of digits specified by the second operandaddress, and the result is placed at the first operand location.

Digits shifted out of the leftmost digit are lost. Zeros are supplied tothe vacated positions on the right. The sign of the result is the sameas the sign of the third operand.

For a finite number, all digits in the significand participate in theshift and the result is a finite number with the same biased exponent asthe third operand and the shifted significand. For an infinity, alldigits in the trailing significand participate in the shift, and theresult is an infinity with the shifted trailing significand and a zeroin the reserved field of the format. For a QNaN or SNaN, all digits inthe trailing significand participate in the shift and the result is aQNaN or SNAN, respectively, with the shifted trailing significand and azero in the reserved field of the format.

The preferred quantum is the quantum of the third operand. If thedelivered value is a finite number, it is represented with the preferredquantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical, except forinfinity. When the result is an infinity, if all digits in the trailingsignificand of the result are zeros, then the result is canonical;otherwise, the result is an infinity that has the reserved field set tozero, canonical declets in the encoded trailing significand field, andsome nonzero digits in the trailing significand.

This operation is performed for any second operand, including aninfinity, QNaN, or SNaN, without causing an IEEE exception.

When the opcode of the Shift Significand Left instruction indicates anextended DFP operation, the R₁ and R₃ fields designate valid floatingpoint register pairs.

To perform the Shift, in one example, an expand function is used toconvert the data to be shifted in a DFP format to a working format. Theshift is performed on the working format, and then the compress functionis performed to convert the working format into the DFP format. Thecompress function is described above; however, one example of an expandfunction is described below with reference to FIG. 10B.

Referring to FIG. 10B, initially, a DFP datum in DFP format is obtained,STEP 1050. In this particular example, the datum is the third operand ofthe Shift Significand Left instruction. The datum, which is in a DFPformat and has a trailing significand in the densely packed decimalformat, is converted to a working format, which includes a trailingsignificand in the packed decimal format, STEP 1052, as described below.

An expand function (F) converts the DPF format (p) to the working format(W). This can be shown symbolically as W=F(p). Expansion involves, forinstance, eight steps, as follows:

S=s

T=F1(a)

E1=F2(a)

D1=F3(a)

E2=b

D2=F4(c)

E=E1∥E2

D=D1∥D2

F includes four subfunctions F1, F2, F3, and F4. Subfunctions F1, F2,and F3 use the combination field (a) to form the type field (T), theleftmost two bits of the biased exponent (E1), and the leftmost digit ofthe significand (D1). Subfunction F4 converts the contents of theencoded trailing significand field (c) to the remaining digits of thesignificand (D2). Each 10-bit DPD value in (c) is converted to a 3-digitBCD number, as described below and in “A Summary of Densely PackedDecimal Encoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, Jul. 16, 2005,www2.hursley.ibm.com/decimal/DPDecimal.html, and “Densely Packed DecimalEncoding,” Mike Cowlishaw, IEEE Proceedings—Computers and DigitalTechniques, ISSN 1350-2387, Vol. 149, No. 3, pp. 102-104, IEEE, May2002.

The conversion from a 10-bit DPD to a 3-digit BCD number can beperformed through the following Boolean operations.

a=(v & w) & (

s|t|

x)

b=p & (

v|

w|(s &

t & x))

c=q & (

v|

w|(s &

t & x))

d=r

e=v & ((

w & x)|(

t & x)|(s & x))

f=(s & (

v|

x))|(p &

s & t & v & w & x)

g=(t & (

v|

x))|(q &

s & t & w)

h=u

i=v & ((

w &

x)|(w & x & (s|t)))

j=(

v & w)|(s & v &

w & x)|(p & w & (

x|(

s &

t)))

k=(

v & x)|(t &

w & x)|(q & v & w & (

x|(

s &

t)))

m=y

Alternatively, the following table can be used to perform theconversion. A combination of five bits in the DPD encoding (leftmostcolumn) are used to specify conversion to the 3-digit BCD encoding.Dashes (−) in the table are don't cares, and can be either one or zero.

vxwst abcd efgh ijkm 0---- 0pqr 0stu 0wxy 100-- 0pqr 0stu 100y 101--0pqr 100u 0sty 110-- 100r 0stu 0pqy 11100 100r 100u 0pqy 11101 100r 0pqu100y 11110 0pqr 100u 100y 11111 100r 100u 100y

After converting the DFP format to the working format, the shift isperformed by shifting the digits of the significand in the workingformat (packed decimal), and then compress is performed to convert theworking format back to the DFP format.

Another instruction that may be employed in the composition of a DFPentity is the Add instruction. One example of a format of an Addinstruction 1300 is described with reference to FIG. 13. In one example,instruction 1300 is a 32-bit instruction in format RRR (non-destructive3 register operation) as that format is defined in the IBM®z/Architecture Principles of Operation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1302 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Add        instruction. In this example, there are two possible operation        codes: one for a long DFP format, and the other for an extended        DFP format.    -   A register field 1304 (e.g., R₃, bits 16-19) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a third operand.    -   A register field 1306 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a first operand.    -   A register field 1308 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a second operand.

During execution of the Add instruction, the third operand is added tothe second operand, and the sum is placed at the first operand location.

The second and third operands in the DFP format are converted to theworking format using the expand function. The Add operation is performedon data in the working format. The result in the working format isconverted to the DFP format using the compress function.

If both operands are finite numbers, they are added algebraically,forming an intermediate sum. The intermediate sum, if nonzero, isrounded to the operand according to the current DFP rounding mode(described below). The sum is then placed at the result location.

The sign of the sum is determined by the rules of algebra. This alsoapplies to a result of zero:

-   -   If the result of rounding a nonzero intermediate sum is zero,        the sign of the zero result is the sign of the intermediate sum.    -   If the sum of two operands with opposite signs is exactly zero,        the sign of the result is plus in all rounding modes except        round toward −∞, in which mode the sign is minus.    -   The sign of the sum x plus x is the sign of x, even when x is        zero.

If one operand is an infinity and the other is a finite number, theresult is an infinity with the sign of the source infinity. If bothoperands are infinities of the same sign, the result is an infinity withthe same sign. If the two operands are infinities of opposite signs, anIEEE invalid operation condition is recognized.

When the delivered value is exact, the preferred quantum is the smallerquantum of the two source operands. When the delivered value is inexact,the preferred quantum is the smallest quantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical.

When the opcode of the Add instruction indicates an extended DFP, the Rfields designate valid floating point register pairs.

One example of the results for the Add instruction are summarized in thebelow table.

Second operand (b) Results for ADD (b + c) when Third Operand (c) is is−∞ −Nn −Dn −0 +0 +Dn +Nn +∞ QNaN SNaN −∞ T(−∞), T(−∞), T(−∞), T(−∞),T(−∞), T(−∞), T(−∞), Xi: T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 T(dNaN),cc3 T(c*), cc3 cc3 −Nn T(−∞), R(b + c), R(b + c), T(b), T(b), R(b + c),R(b + c), T(+∞), T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 ccrs cc2 cc3 T(c*),cc3 −Dn T(−∞), R(b + c), R(b + c), R(b), R(b), R(b + c), R(b + c),T(+∞), T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 cc1 ccrs cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*), cc3 −0T(−∞), T(c), R(c), T(−0), Rezd, R(c), T(c), T(+∞), T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 cc1cc0 cc0 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*), cc3 +0 T(−∞), T(c), R(c), Rezd, T(+0),R(c), T(c), T(+∞), T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 cc1 cc0 cc0 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*),cc3 +Dn T(−∞), R(b + c), R(b + c), R(b), R(b), R(b + c), R(b + c),T(+∞), T(c), Xi: cc1 cc1 ccrs cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*), cc3 +NnT(−∞), R(b + c), R(b + c), T(b), T(b), R(b + c), R(b + c), T(+∞), T(c),Xi: cc1 ccrs cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*), cc3 +∞ Xi: T(+∞), T(+∞),T(+∞), T(+∞), T(+∞), T(+∞), T(+∞), T(c), Xi: T(dNaN), cc2 cc2 cc2 cc2cc2 cc2 cc2 cc3 T(c*), cc3 cc3 QNaN T(b), T(b), T(b), T(b), T(b), T(b),T(b), T(b), T(b), Xi: cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 T(c*), cc3SNaN Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: Xi: T(b*), T(b*), T(b*), T(b*),T(b*), T(b*), T(b*), T(b*), T(b*), T(b*), cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3 cc3cc3 cc3 cc3 Explanation: *The SNaN is converted to the correspondingQNaN before it is placed at the target operand location. ccn Conditioncode is set to n. ccrs Condition code is set according to the resultantsum. dNaN Default quiet NaN. A quiet NaN with a positive sign, zeros inthe reserved field, and zeros in the trailing significand. Nn Normalnumber. R(v) Rounding is performed on the value v. The result iscanonical. Rezd Exact zero-difference result. Dn Subnormal number. T(x)The canonical result x is placed at the target operand location. Xi:IEEE invalid operation exception. The results shown are produced onlywhen FCP 0.0. is zero.

As examples, for CCRS, above, if the value of the result (r) is zero,then a condition code of zero is set. Similarly, if r is less than zero,a condition code of 1 is set, and if r is greater than zero, a conditioncode of two is set.

The Add instruction refers to rounding mode. Thus, further detailsregarding DFP rounding and rounding mode are described below.

Rounding takes an input value, and, using the effective rounding method,selects a value from the permissible set. The input value, considered tobe infinitely precise, may be an operand of an instruction or thenumeric output from an arithmetic operation. The effective roundingmethod may be the current rounding method specified in a rounding modefield of a control register; or, for some instructions, an explicitrounding method is specified by a modifier field.

For target precision constrained rounding and denormalization rounding,the input is the precise intermediate value. For functionallyconstrained rounding, the input is a source operand.

Rounding selects a value from the permissible set. A permissible set isa set of values, and not representations; thus, for DFP, the selectionof a member from the cohort is considered to be performed afterrounding. A permissible set differs from the values representable in aparticular format in the following way:

-   -   1. A permissible set does not include infinity. Infinity is        handled as a special case.    -   2. For target precision constrained rounding, the permissible        set is considered to have an unbounded exponent range.    -   3. For denormalization rounding, the permissible set is limited        to the values representable in a particular format.

If a member of the permissible set is equal in value to the input value,then that member is selected; otherwise, two adjacent candidates withthe same sign as the input value are chosen from the permissible set.One candidate, called TZ (toward zero), is the member of the permissibleset nearest to and smaller in magnitude than the input value; the othercandidate, called AZ (away from zero), is the member of the permissibleset nearest to and larger in magnitude than the input value. Which ofthe two candidates is selected depends on the rounding method.

The following are example rounding methods:

-   -   Round to nearest with ties to even: The candidate nearest to the        input value is selected. In case of a tie, the candidate        selected is the one whose voting digit has an even value.    -   Round toward 0: The candidate that is smaller in magnitude is        selected.    -   Round toward +∞: The candidate that is algebraically greater is        selected.    -   Round toward −∞: The candidate that is algebraically less is        selected.    -   Round to nearest with ties away from 0: The candidate nearest to        the input value is selected. In case of a tie, the candidate        selected is the one that is larger in magnitude.    -   Round to nearest with ties toward 0: The candidate nearest to        the input value is selected. In case of a tie, the candidate        selected is the one that is smaller in magnitude.    -   Round away from 0: The candidate that is greater in magnitude is        selected.    -   Round to prepare for shorter precision: The candidate selected        is smaller in magnitude, unless its voting digit has a value of        either 0 or 5; in that case, the candidate that is greater in        magnitude is selected.

Three rounding methods depend on a condition called a “tie.” Thiscondition exists when the two candidates are equidistant from the inputvalue.

Two rounding methods depend on the value of the voting digit of eachcandidate. (Each “digit” is an integral value between zero and one lessthan the radix.) Thus, a DFP digit is a value between zero and nine. Thevoting digit is the units digit of the significand when considered inthe common rounding point view.

Without changing the value of a floating point number, the significandmay be viewed with the implied radix point in different positions,provided a corresponding adjustment is made to the exponent. In thecommon rounding point view, an implied radix point (called the commonrounding point) and an associated exponent are selected for the inputvalue and the two candidates, TZ and AZ. The common rounding point isselected to satisfy the following requirements:

-   -   1. The input value and the two candidates all have the same        exponent.    -   2. The significand of TZ is equal to the significand of the        input value truncated at the rounding point.    -   3. The significand of AZ is one greater in magnitude than the        significand of TZ.

Another instruction that may be employed in the composition of a DFPentity is a Subtract instruction. One example of a format of a Subtractinstruction 1400 is described with reference to FIG. 14. In one example,instruction 1400 is a 32-bit instruction in format RRR as that format isdefined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles of Operation. It includes,for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1402 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the        Subtract instruction. In this example, there are two possible        operation codes: one for long DFP, and one for extended DFP.    -   A register field 1404 (e.g., R₃, bits 16-19) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a third operand.    -   A register field 1406 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a first operand.    -   A register field 1408 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a second operand.

During execution of the Subtract instruction, the third operand issubtracted from the second operand, and the difference is placed at thefirst operand location. The execution of Subtract is identical to thatof Add, except that the third operand, if numerical, participates in theoperation with its sign bit inverted. When the third operand is a NaN,it participates in the operation with its sign bit unchanged.

The second and third operands in the DFP format are converted to theworking format using the expand function. The Subtract operation isperformed on data in the working format. The result in the workingformat is converted to the DFP format using the compress function.

When the delivered value is exact, the preferred quantum is the smallerquantum of the two source operands. When the delivered value is inexact,the preferred quantum is the smallest quantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical.

When the opcode of the Subtract instruction indicates an extended DFP,the R fields designate valid floating point register pairs.

Yet another instruction used by the composition process is an InsertBiased Exponent instruction. One example of a format of an Insert BiasedExponent instruction 1500 is described with reference to FIG. 15. In oneexample, instruction 1500 is a 32-bit instruction in format RRF(register and register operand having an extended opcode field and anadditional R or M field) as that format is defined in the IBM®z/Architecture Principles of Operation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1502 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Insert        Biased Exponent instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a long DFP operand; and        another for an extended DFP operand.    -   A register field 1504 (e.g., R₃, bits 16-19) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a third operand.    -   A register field 1506 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a first operand.    -   A register field 1508 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        general register, the contents of which are a second operand.        The second operand is a 64-bit signed binary integer.

During execution of the Insert Biased Exponent instruction, a DFPoperand is produced by combining the requested biased exponent with thesign bit and the significand of the DFP third operand, and the result isplaced in the first operand location.

The Insert Biased Exponent instruction also uses the expand function, aswell as the compress function, described above. For instance, the expandfunction is used to convert the DFP format (of, e.g., the third operand)to the working format. The insert is then performed using the workingformat, and then the compress function is used to convert the workingformat back to the DFP format. In particular, as an example, the workingformat includes a sign, a type, a biased exponent and significanddigits. The source biased exponent is examined to set the type of theworking format and replace the biased exponent. The sign, the type, thenew biased exponent and the new significand are used by the compressfunction to create the result in the DFP format.

The value of the requested biased exponent is a 64 bit signed binaryinteger and is located in the general register designated by R2.

When the value of the requested biased exponent is in the range betweenzero and the maximum biased exponent, inclusively, for the targetformat, the result is a finite number. The biased exponent of the resultis set to the value of the requested biased exponent; the significand ofthe result is set to the significand of the third operand. If the thirdoperand is an infinity or NaN, the significand of the third operandincludes the digits of the trailing significand of the third operandpadded with a zero digit on the left.

When the value of the requested biased exponent is −1, the result is aninfinity. The reserved field of the result is set to zero; the trailingsignificand of the result is set to the trailing significand of thethird operand.

When the value of the requested biased exponent is equal to −2, lessthan −3, or greater than the maximum biased exponent for the targetformat, the result is a QNaN; when the value of the requested biasedexponent is −3, the result is an SNaN. When a NaN is produced as theresult, the reserved field of the result is set to zero, and thetrailing significand of the result is set to the trailing significand ofthe third operand.

The sign of the result is the same as the sign of the third operand.

The preferred quantum is the quantum that corresponds to the requestedbiased exponent. If the delivered value is a finite number, it isrepresented with the preferred quantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical, except forinfinity. When the result is an infinity, if all digits in the trailingsignificand of the third operand are zeros, then the result is acanonical infinity; otherwise, the result is an infinity that has thereserved field set to zero, canonical declets in the encoded trailingsignificand field, and some nonzero digits in the trailing significand.

This operand is performed for any requested biased exponent and anythird operand without causing an IEEE exception.

When the opcode of the Insert Biased Exponent instruction indicates theextended DFP, the R₁ and R₃ fields designate valid floating pointregister pairs.

One example of a summary of the results for this instruction aredepicted in the below table.

Value (b) in Results¹ for INSERT BIASED EXPONENT when third secondoperand (c) is operand F ∞ QNaN SNaN b > MBE T(QNaN) T(QNaN) T(QNaN)T(QNaN) MBE ≧ b ≧ 0 T(F) T(F²) T(F²) T(F²) b = −1 N(∞) N(∞) N(∞) N(∞) b= −2 T(QNaN) T(QNaN) T(QNaN) T(QNaN) b = −3 T(SNaN) T(SNaN) T(SNaN)T(SNaN) B ≦ −4 T(QNaN) T(QNaN) T(QNaN) T(QNaN) Explanation: ¹The sign ofthe result is the same as the sign of the third operand. ²The leftmostdigit of the significand is zero. F All infinite numbers, includingzeros. MBE Maximum biased exponent for the target format. N(∞) Theresult is a canonical infinity if all digits in the trailing significandof the third operand are zeros; otherwise, the resultant infinity hasthe reserved field set to zero, canonical declets in the encodedtrailing-significand filed, and some nonzero digits in the trailingsignificand. T(x) The canonical result x is placed at the target operandlocation.

Described in detail above is a capability for composing a decimalfloating point datum. In accordance with another aspect of the presentinvention, a capability is provided for decomposing a decimal floatingpoint datum.

One embodiment of an overview of the logic associated with exporting adecimal floating point datum is described with reference to FIG. 16. Inthis particular example, the exported datum is a non-decimal floatingpoint format, such as a human readable format.

Referring to FIG. 16, in one embodiment, a decimal floating point datumin a DFP format is obtained by a processor of a processing environment,STEP 1600. The data is converted from its decimal floating point formatto an intermediate form, such as packed decimal for the significand andbinary integer for the biased exponent, STEP 1602. The intermediateresult is then converted to a human readable format, such as a decimalnumerical value, STEP 1604. Techniques to convert from packed decimaland binary integer to human-readable format are known in the art.

Further details regarding converting the significand of a DFP datum topacked decimal and the biased exponent of a DFP datum to binary integerare described with reference to FIG. 17. In particular, one embodimentof the logic associated with converting the significand and the biasedexponent to a signed packed decimal number and a binary integer,respectively, is described.

Initially, the biased exponent is extracted and placed in a generalregister, such as general register E, STEP 1700. This extracted biasedexponent is a 64-bit signed binary integer. In one example, this extractfunction is performed using an Extract Biased Exponent instruction, asdescribed below.

Additionally, the lower 31 digits and sign of the significand areconverted into packed decimal and the result is stored into a generalregister pair CD, STEP 1702. In one example, a Convert To Signed Packedinstruction is used for this conversion.

Further, the significand stored in floating pair register 01 is shifted31 digits to the right, using a Shift Significand Right instruction, asan example, STEP 1704.

The remaining digits are converted using a Convert To Unsigned Packedinstruction and stored in general register pair AB, STEP 1706. The threedigits of the contents of register pair AB and the 31 digits plus thesign of register pair CD are stored in storage, STEP 1708. In oneexample, the three digits of general register pair AB and the 31 digitsplus sign of general register CD are concatenated in storage.Additionally, the contents of general register E are stored in storage,STEP 1710.

In the previous example, the intermediate form includes a signedsignificand in the signed packed decimal format. Two examples are nowgiven where the intermediate form includes an unsigned significand inthe unsigned packed decimal format along with a separate bit for thesign. In these examples, the significand and the sign of a decimalfloating point number are converted separately. As in the previousexample, the intermediate form also includes a 64-bit biased exponent inthe binary integer format. In both examples, the significand in thedecimal floating point format is first converted to an unsigned packeddecimal number.

As in the previous example, the Extract Biased Exponent instruction isthen used to extract the 64-bit biased exponent from the DFP format andplace it in the intermediate form. Also, in both examples, the sign bitin the intermediate form is set to indicate the sign of the originalnumber in the DFP format.

In the first example, the 34-digit significand of a decimal floatingpoint number in the DFP extended format is converted to an unsignedpacked decimal number using the Convert To Unsigned Packed and ShiftSignificand Right instructions. The Convert To Signed Packed instructionis not needed.

In the second example, the 16-digit significand of a decimal floatingpoint number in the DFP long format is converted to an unsigned packeddecimal number by a single execution of the Convert To Unsigned Packedinstruction. The Convert To Signed Packed and Shift Significand Rightinstructions are not needed.

In other examples, the decomposition can be to other types ofnon-decimal floating point formats.

In the above logic for decomposing a decimal floating point datum, anumber of instructions are employed. These instructions can beimplemented in many architectures and may be emulated. As examples, theinstructions are executed in hardware by a processor; by softwareexecuted on a processor having a native instruction set; or by emulationof a non-native instruction set that includes the instruction. In oneparticular example, the instructions are implemented in thez/Architecture® offered by International Business Machines Corporation,Armonk, N.Y.

One instruction used by the decomposition process is an Extract BiasedExponent instruction. One example of a format of an Extract BiasedExponent instruction 1800 is described with reference to FIG. 18. In oneexample, instruction 1800 is a 32-bit instruction in format RRE(register and register operation having an extended opcode field) asthat format is defined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles ofOperation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1802 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Extract        Biased Exponent instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a long DFP source, 64-bit        binary integer result; and another for a 64-bit binary integer        result, extended DFP source.    -   A register field 1804 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        general register, the contents of which are a first operand.    -   A register field 1806 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a second operand.

During execution of the Extract Biased Exponent instruction, the biasedexponent of the DFP second operand is placed at the first operandlocation. In particular, when the second operand is a finite number, thebiased exponent of the second operand is placed into the first operandlocation. When the second operand is an infinity, QNaN, or SNaN, aspecial code is placed into the first operand location.

The Extract Biased Exponent instruction uses the expand functiondescribed above during execution. For instance, the expand function isused to convert the DFP format (of, e.g., the second operand) to theworking format, and then the extraction is performed using the workingformat. In particular, as an example, the type of the working format isexamined and the extract function is performed according to the type. Ifit is a finite number, the bias exponent is extracted as a binaryinteger result. If it is an infinity or NaN, the extract returns aspecial code depending on the type (a.k.a., data class).

This operation is performed for any second operand without causing anIEEE exception.

When the opcode of the Extract Biased Exponent instruction indicates theextended DFP operand, the R₂ field designates a valid floating pointregister pair.

The result is a 64-bit signed binary integer that is placed in thegeneral register designated by R₁. One example of a summary of theresults for this instruction are depicted in the below table.

Second-operand First-operand data class value Finite number e Infinity−1 QNaN −2 SNaN −3 Explanation: e Biased exponent

Another instruction used is the Convert To Signed Packed instruction.One example of a format of the Convert To Signed Packed instruction 1900is described with reference to FIG. 19. In one example, instruction 1900is a 32 bit instruction in format RRF (register and register operationhaving an extended opcode and an addition R or M field) as that formatis defined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles of Operation. Itincludes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 1902 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Convert        To Signed Packed instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a 64-bit signed packed decimal        result, long DFP source; and another for a 128-bit signed packed        decimal result, extended DFP source.    -   A field 1904 (e.g., M₄, bits 20-23) used during processing of        this instruction, as described below.    -   A register field 1906 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        general register or a general register pair, the contents of        which are a first operand used by the instruction.    -   A register field 1908 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a second operand used by the instruction.

During execution of the Convert To Signed Packed instruction, the expandfunction described above is used. In particular, the expand functionconverts the source operands in the DFP format to the working format andthe conversion is performed on this working format.

When the opcode of the Convert To Signed Packed instruction indicates along DFP operand, the rightmost 15 significand digits and the signed bitof the DFP second operand are converted to a 64-bit result (15 4-bitdecimal digits and a 4-bit sign) in the signed packed decimal format.

When the opcode indicates an extended DFP operand, the rightmost 31digits in the trailing significand and the sign bit of the secondoperand are converted to a 128-bit result (31 4-bit decimal digits and a4-bit sign).

The sign of the result is the sign of the second operand.

Bit 3 of the M₄ field (M₄.3) is the + sign code selection bit. When M₄.3is zero, the plus sign is encoded as 1100; when the bit is one, the plussign is encoded as 1111. Bits 0-2 are ignored.

The result is a signed packed decimal number that is placed in thegeneral register or general register pair designed by R₁.

For an extended DFP source instruction, the R₂ field designates a validfloating point register pair. Also, the R₁ field designates an even/oddpair of general registers in which the even number register isdesignated.

Another instruction used during the decomposition of a DFP entity is aShift Significand Right instruction (see, e.g., STEP 1704, FIG. 17). Oneexample of a format of the Shift Significand Right instruction 2000 isdescribed with reference to FIG. 20. In one example, instruction 2000 isa 48-bit instruction in format RXF (register and index storage operationhaving an extended opcode field and an additional register field) asthat format is defined in the IBM® z/Architecture Principles ofOperation. It includes, for instance:

-   -   An operation code 2002 a (e.g., bits 0-7), 2002 b (e.g., bits        40-47) designating the Shift Significand Right instruction. In        this example, there are two possible operation codes: one for        long decimal floating point operand, and another for an extended        decimal floating point operand.    -   A register field 2004 (e.g., R₃, bits 8-11) designating a        floating point register or a floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a third operand used by the instruction.    -   An index field 2006 (e.g., X₂, bits 12-15) designating a general        register having, for instance, a 64-bit number.    -   A base field 2008 (e.g., B₂, bits 16-19) designating a general        register having, for instance, a 64-bit number.    -   A displacement value 2010 having, for instance, a 12-bit number.    -   The contents of the general registers specified in fields 2006        and 2008, if any, are added to the contents of displacement        value 2010 to form a second operand address. The second operand        address is not used to address data; instead, its rightmost six        bits indicate the number of digits to be shifted. The remainder        of the address is ignored.    -   A register field 2012 (e.g., R₁, bits 32-35) designating another        floating point register or floating point register pair used by        the instruction, the contents of which are a first operand used        by the instruction.

During operation, the significand of the third operand is shifted rightthe number of digits specified by the second operand address, and theresult is placed at the first operand location.

To perform the Shift, in one example, an expand function is used toconvert the format of the DFP value being shifted to a working format.The shift is performed on the working format, and then the compressfunction is performed to convert the working format into the DFP format.

Digits shifted out of the rightmost digit are lost. Zeros are suppliedto the vacated positions on the left. The sign of the result is the sameas the sign of the third operand.

For a finite number, all digits in the significand participate in theshift and the result is a finite number with the same biased exponent asthe third operand and the shifted significand. For an infinity, alldigits in the trailing significand participate in the shift, and theresult is an infinity with the shifted trailing significand and a zeroin the reserved field of the format. For a QNaN or SNaN, all digits inthe trailing significand participate in the shift and the result is aQNaN or SNaN, respectively, with the shifted trailing significand and azero in the reserved field of the format.

The preferred quantum is the quantum of the third operand. If thedelivered value is a finite number, it is represented with the preferredquantum.

The result placed at the first operand location is canonical, except forinfinity. When the result is an infinity, if all digits in the trailingsignificand of the result are zeros, then the result is canonical;otherwise, the result is an infinity that has the reserved field set tozero, canonical declets in the encoded trailing significand field, andsome nonzero digits in the trailing significand.

This operation is performed for any second operand, including aninfinity, QNaN, or SNaN, without causing an IEEE exception.

When the opcode of the Shift Significand Right instruction indicates anextended DFP operation, the R₁ and R₃ fields designate valid floatingpoint register pairs.

Another instruction used to convert the DFP value to a BCD value (see,e.g., STEP 1706, FIG. 17) is the Convert To Unsigned Packed instruction2100, which is described with reference to FIG. 21. In one example,instruction 2100 is a 32-bit instruction in format RRE (register andregister operation having an extended opcode) as that format is definedin the IBM® z/Architecture Principles of Operation. It includes, forinstance:

-   -   An operation code 2102 (e.g., bits 0-15) designating the Convert        To Unsigned Packed instruction. In this example, there are two        possible operation codes: one for a 64-bit unsigned packed        decimal result, long DFP source; and another for a 128-bit        unsigned packed decimal result, extended DFP source.    -   A register field 2104 (e.g., R₁, bits 24-27) designating a        general register or a general register pair, the contents of        which are a first operand used by the instruction.    -   A register field 2106 (e.g., R₂, bits 28-31) designating a        floating point register or floating point register pair, the        contents of which are a second operand used by the instruction.

During execution of the convert to unsigned packed instruction, theexpand function is used in which the DFP format is converted to aworking format and the working format is used during execution of theinstruction.

When the opcode of the Convert To Unsigned Packed instruction indicatesa long DFP source, 16 significand digits of the second operand areconverted to a 64-bit result (16 4-bit decimal digits). (If the secondoperand is an infinity or NaN, the 15 digits in the trailing significandare padded with a zero digit on the left to form 16 significand digits.)

When the opcode indicates an extended DFP source, the rightmost 32digits in the trailing significand of the second operand are convertedto a 128-bit result (32 4-bit decimal digits).

The result is an unsigned packed decimal number that is placed in thegeneral register or general register pair designated by R₁.

This operation is performed for any second operand, including aninfinity QNaN, or SNaN, without causing an IEEE exception.

When the operand indicates an extended DFP operand, the R₂ fielddesignates a valid floating point register pair. Also, the R₁ fielddesignates an even/odd pair of general registers in which the evennumber register is designated.

In one embodiment, each instruction is executed by a processor of aprocessing environment. One embodiment of a processing environment toincorporate and use one or more aspects of the present invention isdescribed with reference to FIG. 22. Processing environment 2200includes, for instance, a z/Architecture® processor 2202 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU)), a memory 2204 (e.g., main memory), andone or more input/output (I/O) devices 2206 coupled to one another via,for example, one or more buses 2208 and/or other connections.

In the example shown, z/Architecture® processor 2202 is a part of aSystem z™ server, offered by International Business Machines Corporation(IBM®), Armonk, N.Y. System z™ servers implement IBM's z/Architecture®,which specifies the logical structure and functional operation of thecomputer. The System z™ server executes an operating system, such asz/OS®, also offered by International Business Machines Corporation.IBM®, z/Architecture® and z/OS® are registered trademarks ofInternational Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., USA. Othernames used herein may be registered trademarks, trademarks or productnames of International Business Machines Corporation or other companies.

In another embodiment, the instruction and/or the logic of theinstruction can be executed in a processing environment that is based onone architecture (which may be referred to as a “native” architecture),but emulates another architecture (which may be referred to as a “guest”architecture). In such an environment, for example, the instructionsand/or logic thereof, which is specified in the z/Architecture® anddesigned to execute on a z/Architecture® machine, is emulated to executeon an architecture other than the z/Architecture®. One example of thisprocessing environment is described with reference to FIGS. 23-24.

Referring to FIG. 23, one embodiment of a processing environment toincorporate and use one or more aspects of the present invention isdescribed. Processing environment 2300 includes, for instance, a nativecentral processing unit 2302, a memory 2304 (e.g., main memory) and oneor more input/output (I/O) devices 2306 coupled to one another via, forexample, one or more buses 2308 and/or other connections. As examples,processing environment 2300 may include a Power PC® processor, apSeries® server, or an xSeries® server offered by International BusinessMachines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y.; an HP Superdome with Intel® Itanium®2 processors offered by Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif.;and/or other machines based on architectures offered by IBM®,Hewlett-Packard, Intel®, Sun Microsystems or others. Power PC®, pSeries®and xSeries® are registered trademarks of International BusinessMachines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., U.S.A. Intel® and Itanium® 2 areregistered trademarks of Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif.

Native central processing unit 2302 includes one or more nativeregisters 2310, such as one or more general purpose registers and/or oneor more special purpose registers, used during processing within theenvironment. These registers include information that represent thestate of the environment at any particular point in time.

Moreover, native central processing unit 2302 executes instructions andcode that are stored in memory 2304. In one particular example, thecentral processing unit executes emulator code 2312 stored in memory2304. This code enables the processing environment configured in onearchitecture to emulate another architecture. For instance, emulatorcode 2312 allows machines based on architectures other than thez/Architecture®, such as Power PC® processors, pSeries® servers,xSeries® servers, HP Superdome® servers, or others to emulate thez/Architecture® and to execute software and instructions developed basedon the z/Architecture®.

Further details relating to emulator code 2312 are described withreference to FIG. 24. Guest instructions 2402 comprise softwareinstructions (e.g., machine instructions) that were developed to beexecuted in an architecture other than that of native CPU 2302. Forexample, guest instructions 2402 may have been designed to execute onz/Architecture® processor 2202, but are instead being emulated on nativeCPU 2302 (which may be for example an Intel® Itanium® 2 processor). Inone example, emulator code 2312 includes an instruction fetching routine2400 to obtain one or more guest instructions 2402 from memory 2304, andto optionally provide local buffering for the instruction obtained. Italso includes an instruction translation routine 2404 to determine thetype of guest instruction that has been obtained and to translate theguest instruction into one or more corresponding native instructions2409. This translation includes, for instance, identifying the functionto be performed by the guest instruction and choosing the nativeinstructions to perform that function.

Further, emulator 2312 includes an emulation control routine 2406 tocause the native instructions to be executed. Emulation control routine2406 may cause native CPU 2302 to execute a routine of nativeinstructions that emulate one or more previously obtained guestinstructions and, at the conclusion of such execution, to return controlto the instruction fetch routine to emulate the obtaining of the nextguest instruction or group of guest instructions. Execution of thenative instructions 2409 may include loading data into a register frommemory 2304; storing data back to memory from a register; or performingsome type of arithmetic or logical operation, as determined by thetranslation routine.

Each routine is, for instance, implemented in software, which is storedin memory and executed by the native central processing unit 2302. Inother examples, one or more of the routines or operations areimplemented in firmware, hardware, software or some combination thereof.The registers of the emulated guest processor may be emulated using theregisters 2310 of the native CPU or by using locations in memory 2304.In embodiments, the guest instructions 2402, native instructions 2409,and emulation code 2312 may reside in the same memory or may bedispersed among different memory devices.

In one example, a guest instruction 2402 that is obtained, translatedand executed is one of the instructions described herein. Theinstruction, which is a z/Architecture® instruction in this example, isfetched from memory, translated and represented as a sequence of nativeinstructions 2409 (e.g., Power PC®, pSeries®, xSeries®, Intel®, etc.)which are executed.

In another embodiment, one or more of the instructions are executed inanother architecture environment including, for example, an architectureas described in the “INTEL® 64 and IA-32 Architectures SoftwareDeveloper's Manual Volume 1,” Order Number 253665-022US, November 2006;“INTEL® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual Volume2A,” Order Number 253666-022US, November 2006; the “INTEL® Itanium®Architecture Software Developer's Manual Volume 1,” Doc. No. 245317-005,January 2006; the “INTEL® Itanium® Architecture Software Developer'sManual Volume 2,” Doc. No. 245318-005, January 2006; and/or the “INTEL®Itanium® Architecture Software Developer's Manual Volume 3,” Doc. No.245319-005, January 2006; each of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

In yet a further embodiment, a data processing system suitable forstoring and/or executing program code is usable that includes at leastone processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements througha system bus. The memory elements include, for instance, local memoryemployed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, andcache memory which provide temporary storage of at least some programcode in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved frombulk storage during execution.

Input/Output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards,displays, pointing devices, DASD, tape, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives andother memory media, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directlyor through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also becoupled to the system to enable the data processing system to becomecoupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storagedevices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cablemodems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the available types ofnetwork adapters.

One or more aspects of the present invention can be included in anarticle of manufacture (e.g., one or more computer program products)having, for instance, computer usable media. The media has therein, forinstance, computer readable program code means or logic (e.g.,instructions, code, commands, etc.) to provide and facilitate thecapabilities of the present invention. The article of manufacture can beincluded as a part of a system (e.g., computer system) or soldseparately.

One example of an article of manufacture or a computer program productincorporating one or more aspects of the present invention is describedwith reference to FIG. 25. A computer program product 2500 includes, forinstance, one or more computer usable media 2502 to store computerreadable program code means or logic 2504 thereon to provide andfacilitate one or more aspects of the present invention. The medium canbe an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium.Examples of a computer readable medium include a semiconductor or solidstate memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk andan optical disk. Examples of optical disks include compact disk-readonly memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-RAN) and DVD.

A sequence of program instructions or a logical assembly of one or moreinterrelated modules defined by one or more computer readable programcode means or logic direct the performance of one or more aspects of thepresent invention.

Although one or more examples have been provided herein, these are onlyexamples. Many variations are possible without departing from the spiritof the present invention. For instance, processing environments otherthan the examples provided herein may include and/or benefit from one ormore aspects of the present invention. As an example, a processor can beother than an IBM System z™ processor and can execute an operatingsystem other than z/OS®. Further, the environment need not be based onthe z/Architecture®, but instead can be based on other architecturesoffered by, for instance, IBM®, Intel®, Sun Microsystems, as well asothers. Yet further, the environment can include multiple processors, bepartitioned, and/or be coupled to other systems, as examples.

Additionally, one or more of the instructions can include otherregisters or entities other than registers to designate information.Further, although examples of registers are described above, each of theregisters may include more, less or different information. Further, eachmay include additional data not necessarily needed in one or moreaspects of the present invention. Specific location within the registersfor the information is implementation and/or architecture dependent. Yetfurther, different data and/or positioning within the registers and/orentities are possible.

Still further, one or more aspects of the present invention can beusable with other floating point systems, including variations on thedecimal floating point described herein. Further, the formats of decimalfloating point numbers, as well as properties and any othercharacteristics, including but not limited to, the contents of the dataformats may be different than described herein. A decimal floating pointnumber can be defined as having more, less or different components thandescribed herein; definitions can vary; and/or there can be more, lessor different formats.

Moreover, one or more aspects of the present invention also apply toimplementations using BID (Binary Encoded Decimal Floating Point data)encoding, as well as other encoding.

In an embodiment wherein the significand is Binary Encoded Decimal (BID)format rather than DPD, the BID significand is decoded to a decimalvalue, such as packed decimal, for example, such that each decimal digitis represented by a distinct 4 bit value. The decimal value is operatedon according to the function required and the result is re-encoded intothe BID format, thereby the BID significand is operated on as a decimalnumber rather than a binary number. In one example, the functionrequired is a shift operation on the significand. The shift operation isperformed on the decimal number such that the value of the decimalnumber is shifted by a predetermined number of decimal digit positions.The shifted value is then encoded into BID format and saved as a resultoperand.

As used herein, the term “obtaining” as in, for instance, “obtaining aninstruction” includes, but is not limited to, fetching, receiving,having, providing, being provided, creating, developing, etc.

The capabilities of one or more aspects of the present invention can beimplemented in software, firmware, hardware, or some combinationthereof. At least one program storage device readable by a machineembodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machineto perform the capabilities of the present invention can be provided.

The flow diagrams depicted herein are just examples. There may be manyvariations to these diagrams or the steps (or operations) describedtherein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Forinstance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps maybe added, deleted, or modified. All of these variations are considered apart of the claimed invention.

Although embodiments have been depicted and described in detail herein,it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that variousmodifications, additions, substitutions and the like can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and these are, therefore,considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in theclaims.

We claim:
 1. A method of executing a machine instruction by a centralprocessing unit, said method comprising: obtaining a machine instructionfor execution, the machine instruction comprising an opcode and beingdefined for computer execution according to a computer architecture; andexecuting the machine instruction, the executing comprising: obtaining,by at least one processor of a processing environment, a significand ofa datum in a first format and an exponent of the datum in a secondformat; converting the significand in the first format to thesignificand in a decimal floating point format; converting the exponentin the second format to a biased exponent; and combining the significandin the decimal floating point format and the biased exponent to createthe datum in the decimal floating point format.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the first format comprises a packed decimal format, thesecond format comprises a signed binary integer and the biased exponentcomprises an unsigned binary integer format.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing a sign for the datum.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein an encoding of the datum in decimal floating pointformat comprises including a sign of the datum in a sign field, aleftmost digit of the significand, two leftmost bits of the biasedexponent and the remaining bits of the biased exponent in a combinationfield, and the remaining digits of the significand in an encodedtrailing significand field.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signfield is bit 0 of the decimal floating point format, the combinationfield is bits 1-11, bits 1-13 or bits 1-17 depending on a length of thedata format, and the encoded trailing significand is bits 12-31, bits14-63 or bits 18-127 depending on the length of the data format.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein converting the significand comprises: loadinga number of most significant digits of the significand in a firstregister pair; loading the remaining least significant digits of thesignificand in a second register pair; converting contents of the firstregister pair into the decimal floating point format, and storing theconverted contents in a first floating point register pair; convertingcontents of the second register pair into the decimal floating pointformat, and storing the converted contents in a second floating pointregister pair; shifting the contents of the first floating pointregister pair a selected number of digits to the left to align it foroperations with the second floating point register pair; determining asign of the significand; subtracting contents of the first floatingpoint register pair from the contents of the second floating pointregister pair and storing the result in the first floating pointregister pair, in response to the determining indicating a negativesign; and adding contents of the first floating point register pair andthe second floating point register pair and storing the result in thefirst floating point register pair, in response to the determiningindicating a positive sign.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein thecombining comprises combining the biased exponent with the result storedin the first floating point register pair to create the datum in decimalfloating point format.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the combiningcomprises employing an insert biased exponent instruction to perform thecombining.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the converting contents ofthe first register pair comprises using a convert from unsigned packedinstruction to perform the converting.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein the converting contents of the second register pair comprisesemploying a convert from signed packed instruction to perform theconverting.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the shifting comprisesemploying a shift left instruction to perform the shifting.
 12. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the subtracting comprises employing asubtract instruction to perform the subtracting.
 13. The method of claim6, wherein the adding comprises employing an add instruction to performthe adding.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining comprisesemploying an insert biased instruction to combine the significand withthe biased exponent to create the datum in the decimal floating pointformat.